Local politics in the San Gabriel Valley

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Pomona resident and Baldwin Park businessman Greg Tuttle has been back at City Hall, jumpstarting efforts to get his recall going — again.

You may remember a story that ran earlier this week detailing the city’s rejection of the recall effort, citing election code violations.

Well, according to Deputy City Clerk Laura Nieto, Tuttle submitted some new documents to the city Wednesday.

“He submitted … two sets of the blank petition for each council member he is attempting to recall. It was essentially the same information he had originally submitted, with proof of publication attached to the petition.”

Nieto said those blank petitions are essentially the petitions that Tuttle wants to circulate for signatures to initiate the recall.

Gas prices are affecting everything these days — even important Senate votes:

By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVISAssociated Press WriterWASHINGTON (AP)–A bill to protect journalists from having to reveal theirsources in some federal courts stalled in the Senate on Wednesday, the latest victim ofa partisan fight over what to do about gas prices.

Republicans blocked the measure, saying the Senate should act instead on an energy billthat would promote more domestic oil and gas production.

Democrats wanted to put aside the energy measure to debate and pass the media bill,which would shield reporters from being forced by federal prosecutors to reveal theirsources, except in certain circumstances.

Anti-terrorism cases are exempted, for example, as is information that could stop amurder or kidnapping.

On a 51-43 vote, the bill fell nine votes short of the 60 it would have needed to moveforward over the GOP objections.

The Bush administration and many congressional Republicans are strongly opposed to themedia shield, arguing the bill could damage national security by harming prosecutors’ability to track leaks.

Proponents argue that confidentiality has been crucial to journalists’ pursuit ofimportant stories, and that a recent flurry of attempts to compel reporters to cough uptheir sources’ identities is proof that the legislation is needed.

Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., said the measure “protects both the freedom of thepress and the security of our citizens. In a free and democratic country, we should beable to do both.”

Republicans said they were uncomfortable about limiting the legislation to certainpeople, contending the government shouldn’t determine who gets journalistic protectionsand who doesn’t.

“Congress would be deciding who is a legitimate journalist and who is not, and I, forone, am not comfortable with the federal government licensing journalists,” said Sen.John Cornyn, R-Texas.

The bipartisan group pushing the bill was offering changes to address GOPcriticisms.

Their proposal would have made it easier for prosecutors to compel reporters to revealsources in cases involving leaks of classified information.

It defined a journalist as anyone who regularly gathers and reports information ofpublic interest with the intent of disseminating it to the public.

Proponents of a federal shield law got momentum from U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald’sdecision to subpoena reporters to testify against I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, once aWhite House aide, in a case that grew out of Fitzgerald’s leak investigation. Libby wasconvicted of obstruction, perjury and lying to the FBI; his sentence was commuted byPresident Bush.

“Reporters have been intimidated — a chilling effect — by the subpoenas which have beenissued,” said Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, the lead Republican sponsor.

Yesterday, I put up a post about the La Puente City Council deciding to go with the Charles Co. for redevelopment of the former La Puente Lanes bowling alley site.

Naturally, this question came to mind: It’s good to hear that a decision has been made, but it makes me wonder where things go from here. The city was in talks with the Charles Co. for almost a year on this project, they didn’t get very far, mulled a new developer, and then went back to them.

Are we back at square one?

Well, looks like Mayor Louie Lujan wants to squelsh any concerns that the city is moving backwards. I got this e-mail from him this morning in response to the question:

Simply put, no, we are not back at square one. The main reasons are:

During the 45 day evaluation period much was progressing behind the scenes, including the Gadzunas eminent domain case.

Since the city successfully acquired the property from the Gadzunas eminent domain case, we have been working to relocate the businesses and are nearing completion of the entire transaction. Therefore, we are closer to the point at which we can begin demolition of the existing strip mall.

The critical analysis of the project by our redevelopment consultant and staff has given us a much clearer picture of how we can work within the constraints of our economy. Armed with this information, we can move forward more efficiently and therefore keep a strict project time line.

From here, we enter into a DDA with the Charles Company, complete all property acquisition and assembly, complete CEQA requirements, and begin to structure a time line for demolition. Meanwhile, the Charles Company will begin to confirm tenants.

Finally, the 45 day evaluation period was critical in that we were able to address the three areas of concern that I mentioned to you before:

I have to say, the bit about the DDA does show serious commitment. This from the City of Long Beach:

A Disposition and Development Agreement (DDA) is typically utilized by a city or redevelopment agency for a specific project that will be built out in a single phase. A redevelopment agency is allowed to enter into a DDA so long as the proposed project is within a redevelopment project area.

I got a very pleasant call from La Puente Councilwoman Nadia Mendoza this morning.

She wanted to voice her thoughts on the council’s Monday night decision to go with the Charles Co. (after all) for redevelopment of the former La Puente Lanes bowling alley site.

You may remember the city had been mulling over whether to go with the Charles Co. or a new developer for that site.

Well, according to Mendoza, the council felt going with the Charles Co. was the most “financially responsible” decision.

It’s good to hear that a decision has been made, but it makes me wonder where things go from here. The city was in talks with the Charles Co. for almost a year on this project, they didn’t get very far, mulled a new developer, and then went back to them.

Obviously, the City Hall reporting has taken a back seat the past couple of days because of the earthquake. Here are a couple of shots I took while I was out at Mt. SAC today. The first picture is of the bookstore, which is still closed.

The second picture is of students, from left, Tony Hoang, 20, and Amish Sharma, who were sitting on the same place on the lawn yesterday when the earthquake hit.

“We were sitting in two chairs and then it started rumbling. It was shifting back and forth. Then, it became a slow motion wave, and people started coming out of the buildings,” Hoang said.

It was a tragic end for a Minnesota bear with a jar stuck on his head:

Minn. officers shoot bear with jar stuck on head

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)– Minnesota wildlife officials tried for six days to capture a bear that had a plastic jar stuck over its head, but ended up killing the animal after it wandered into a city during a festival.

The wild black bear — whose head got stuck inside a 2-gallon clear plastic jug presumably while foraging for food — ambled into the city of Frazee, about 200 miles northwest of the Twin Cities, during the town’s busy Turkey Days celebration.

“When it got into town, our main concern was public safety,” said Rob Naplin, the Department of Natural Resources’ area wildlife supervisor in Park Rapids.

The bear was first reported near the town of Lake George, about 60 miles east of Frazee, on July 21. While the bear could breathe, it couldn’t eat or drink and was likely suffering from dehydration and hunger.

“I’m sure there was high anxiety and frustration with its predicament,” Naplin said.

There was no evidence the bear was baited by hunters, Naplin said. The legal baiting season doesn’t open until Aug. 15. The bear season opens Sept. 1.

In the six days that followed the initial sighting of the bear, officials tried to trap it, tranquilize it in numerous locations, but to no avail.

By the time the animal showed up in Frazee, conservation officers decided it needed to be killed to avoid conflicts with humans.

“You don’t want it knocking over a kid or getting hit by a car,” Naplin said. “Showing up in Frazee escalated the urgency of dispatching it.”

BALDWIN PARK – Leaders of a recall effort against three City Council members vowed Monday to press on despite the city’s rejection of recall papers. Local businessman and Pomona resident Greg Tuttle served recall notices on Council members Anthony Bejarano, Marlen Garcia and Monica Garcia at the June 18 council meeting. He filed official recall paperwork with the City Clerk’s Office the following Monday.

Deputy City Clerk Laura Nieto said legal documents submitted to City Hall were rejected last week due to election code violations, including missing forms at the time of filing.

Tuttle said he plans to move forward and expects the recall to be on a citywide ballot next year.

“We’re going to go back and do it right,” he said. “We’re laughing at it. It’s a delay tactic.”

The recall papers Tuttle submitted contained a laundry list of grievances against individual council members.

City Council members targeted in the effort dismissed the accusations as unfounded.

Along with Tuttle, who owns Tuttle’s Parts Exchange, several of the recall’s proponents included members of the Community Alliance for Redevelopment Accountability. The group is against the city’s proposed redevelopment of downtown.

But Tuttle said the recall was separate from CARA’s efforts, and was initiated to address mismanagement of the Police Department as well as concerns over redevelopment.

Officials targeted by the recall effort argued the proposed redevelopment will be good for the city. “There are a lot of benefits to these types of projects, but unfortunately you’ve got those agitators,” said Councilwoman Marlen Garcia. “Tuttle doesn’t live in my community and frankly he doesn’t matter to me.”

Councilman Anthony Bejarano questioned the recall group’s motives.

“They don’t want to be impacted, so they’re going to fight tooth and nail to get what they want, irrespective of how that impacts the community,” he said. “All that’s important to (Tuttle) are the impacts on his business.”

Councilwoman Monica Garcia did not return phone calls.

Experts attest to the difficulty of successfully initiating a recall election – which could easily run in the tens of thousands of dollars, and maybe even upwards of $100,000, according to Douglas Johnson, a fellow with the Rose Institute of State and Local Government.

Tuttle said recalling three council members could cost anywhere from $125,000 to $150,000 – funds that will be generated by a group he heads known as the Political Action Committee for Good Government.

Johnson estimated less than a quarter of recall movements actually end up on the ballot.

Tuttle said he plans to try again this week.

“We’re refiling and if that doesn’t work we’ll have to take the legal action and go to court,” Tuttle said. “It’s only begun.”

tania.chatila@sgvn.com

(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2109

Tuttle seemed adamant that this was nothing more than a ploy by the city to make the recall go away. I don’t think Tuttle is budging quite yet….Of course, it would help to get all the paperwork right.

I posted this on our Web site a little while ago. Pomona City Hall is back open for business this morning after Tuesday’s earthquake:

POMONA — After being evacuated and shut down Tuesday following a morning tremor, City Hall has been cleared for occupancy and officials say they are working to replace 17 panes of glass that fell into the main lobby.The facility was yellow-tagged after the magnitude-5.4 earthquake centered in Chino Hills struck on Tuesday. City officials said about 17 sheets of 3-foot by 5-foot glass fell and shattered in the lobby.“(City Hall) was closed more for safety concerns,” said Mark Gluba, assistant to the city manager.The building was cleared for occupancy Tuesday evening, after the windows were boarded up and the broken glass cleared, he said.“Other than that, we had only minor plaster damage,” Gluba said.

It seems that no other City Hall buildings in the Valley suffered much damage.